Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:
- That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
- We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
- On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.
By learning about Fords Colony (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.
As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Fords Colony. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Fords Colony is located in James City County.
To see how the shape of Virginia's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of James City County: Charles City, Gloucester, King and Queen, New Kent, Newport News City, Surry, Williamsburg City & York.
Below are the counties that are near Fords Colony. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Fords Colony:
- James City County (The home county of Fords Colony)
- The following are listed by their distance from Fords Colony, with the one closest to Fords Colony listed first.
- Norge
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Jamestown
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Charles City County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fords Colony, with the one closest to Fords Colony listed first.
- Ruthville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Ruthville is located in Charles City County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruthville
- Charles City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Westover
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Westover is located in Charles City County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westover
- Roxbury
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Roxbury is located in Charles City County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxbury
- Kimages
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Kimages is located in Charles City County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimages
- Chesterfield County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fords Colony, with the one closest to Fords Colony listed first.
- Bermuda Hundred ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Bermuda Hundred is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bermuda Hundred
- Meadowville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Meadowville is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowville
- Gloucester County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fords Colony, with the one closest to Fords Colony listed first.
- York View
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- York View is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York View
- Clay Bank
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Clay Bank is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay Bank
- Belroi
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Belroi is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belroi
- Country Village
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Country Village is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Country Village
- White Marsh
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Ordinary
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Ark
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Ark is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ark
- Crab
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Crab is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crab
- Gloucester Point
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Roanes
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Roanes is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roanes
- Adner
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Adner is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adner
- Gloucester Courthouse
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Gloucester Courthouse is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gloucester Courthouse
- Money
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Money is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Money
- Hampton City
- The following are listed by their distance from Fords Colony, with the one closest to Fords Colony listed first.
- Newgate Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Newgate Village is located in Hampton City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newgate Village
- Greenwood Farms
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Greenwood Farms is located in Hampton City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood Farms
- Aberdeen Gardens
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Aberdeen Gardens is located in Hampton City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aberdeen Gardens
- Chapel Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Chapel Village is located in Hampton City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapel Village
- Pine Chapel Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Pine Chapel Village is located in Hampton City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Chapel Village
- Hampton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Buckroe Beach
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Buckroe Beach is located in Hampton City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckroe Beach
- Phoebus
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Phoebus is located in Hampton City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phoebus
- Hanover County
- Westwood
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Westwood is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood
- Henrico County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fords Colony, with the one closest to Fords Colony listed first.
- Elko
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Elko is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elko
- Glendale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Glendale is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
- Windsor
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Windsor is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsor
- Currituck Farms
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Currituck Farms is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Currituck Farms
- Green Meadows
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Green Meadows is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Meadows
- Deep Bottom
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Deep Bottom is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deep Bottom
- Hopewell City
- Hopewell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Isle of Wight County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fords Colony, with the one closest to Fords Colony listed first.
- Rushmere
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Rushmere is located in Isle of Wight County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushmere
- Magnet
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Magnet is located in Isle of Wight County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnet
- Smithfield
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Rescue
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Rescue is located in Isle of Wight County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rescue
- Raynor
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Raynor is located in Isle of Wight County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raynor
- Zuni
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Zuni is located in Isle of Wight County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zuni
- King and Queen County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fords Colony, with the one closest to Fords Colony listed first.
- Plain View
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Plain View is located in King and Queen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plain View
- Mattaponi
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- King and Queen Court House
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Cumnor
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Cumnor is located in King and Queen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumnor
- King William County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fords Colony, with the one closest to Fords Colony listed first.
- West Point
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Romancoke
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Romancoke is located in King William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romancoke
- Lanesville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Lanesville is located in King William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanesville
- Lancaster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fords Colony, with the one closest to Fords Colony listed first.
- Millenbeck
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Millenbeck is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millenbeck
- Weems
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Weems is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weems
- Mathews County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fords Colony, with the one closest to Fords Colony listed first.
- Cardinal
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Cardinal is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardinal
- Susan
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Susan is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Susan
- Beaverlett
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Beaverlett is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaverlett
- Mathews
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Ruff
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Ruff is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruff
- New Point
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Onemo
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Onemo is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onemo
- Peary
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Peary is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peary
- Diggs
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Middlesex County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fords Colony, with the one closest to Fords Colony listed first.
- Saluda
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Grafton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Grafton is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grafton
- Harmony Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Harmony Village is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony Village
- Hartfield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Locust Hill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Urbanna
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Remlik
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Wilton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Wilton is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
- Amburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Amburg is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amburg
- Nesting
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Nesting is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nesting
- Sandy Bottom ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sandy Bottom is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Bottom
- New Kent County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fords Colony, with the one closest to Fords Colony listed first.
- Plum Point
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Plum Point is located in New Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum Point
- New Kent
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Tunstall
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Tunstall is located in New Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunstall
- Newport News City
- The following are listed by their distance from Fords Colony, with the one closest to Fords Colony listed first.
- Lee Hall
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Lee Hall is located in Newport News City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Hall
- Red Hill Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Red Hill Village is located in Newport News City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Hill Village
- Bernard Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Bernard Village is located in Newport News City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bernard Village
- Newport News
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hilton Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Hilton Village is located in Newport News City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilton Village
- Poquoson City
- Poquoson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Prince George County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fords Colony, with the one closest to Fords Colony listed first.
- Burrowsville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Burrowsville is located in Prince George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burrowsville
- Garysville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Garysville is located in Prince George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garysville
- Newville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Newville is located in Prince George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newville
- Southampton County
- Ivor
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Surry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fords Colony, with the one closest to Fords Colony listed first.
- Scotland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Scotland is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotland
- Homewood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Homewood is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homewood
- Surry
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Claremont
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Claremont is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
- Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
- Beachland
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Beachland is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beachland
- Spring Grove
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Spring Grove is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Grove
- Itata
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Itata is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Itata
- Carsley
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Carsley is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carsley
- Dendron
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Sussex County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fords Colony, with the one closest to Fords Colony listed first.
- Wakefield
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Waverly
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Williamsburg City
- Williamsburg
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- York County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fords Colony, with the one closest to Fords Colony listed first.
- Oaktree
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Oaktree is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oaktree
- Barlows Corner
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Barlows Corner is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barlows Corner
- Charles Corner
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Charles Corner is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charles Corner
- Rochambeau Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Rochambeau Village is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochambeau Village
- Lackey
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Lackey is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lackey
- Yorktown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Dare
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Dare is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dare
- Yorkville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Yorkville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Fords Colony, see our County-by-County Page for Fords Colony.
Cemeteries Near Fords Colony ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fords Colony.
This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Fords Colony - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Fords Colony covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Fords Colony, with the one closest to Fords Colony listed first.
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Williamsburg Memorial Park
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Galt Family Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Bruton Parish Churchyard Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hospital Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Cedar Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Jones Family Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- James City Chapel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Travis Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Riverview Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview Cemetery
- The Riverview Cemetery has also been known as:
- Our Saviours Evangelical Lutheran Church City
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2463455 <2>
- Swanns Point Plantation Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Cheesecake Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Continue List (204 more) ...
- Mt. Gilead Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Curtis Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Wier Neck Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>
While we didn't find Fords Colony in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Fords Colony.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Fords Colony, with the one closest to Fords Colony listed first.
- Ewell
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Ewell is located in James City County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ewell
- Lightfoot
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Oaktree
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Oaktree is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oaktree
- Jamestown
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Toano
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Scotland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Scotland is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotland
- Homewood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Homewood is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homewood
- Grove
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Grove is located in James City County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove
- Clay Bank
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Clay Bank is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay Bank
- Allmondsville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Allmondsville is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allmondsville
- Tettington
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Tettington is located in Charles City County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tettington
- Alliance
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Alliance is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alliance
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Holdcroft
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Holdcroft is located in Charles City County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holdcroft
- Claremont
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Claremont is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
- Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
- Highgate
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Highgate is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highgate
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Fords Colony. See our List of 1890's Communities around Fords Colony.
Newspapers Published in Fords Colony ...
An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).
To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.
Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 65 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fords Colony.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Fords Colony, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Fords Colony.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.
To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Fords Colony:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to James City County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Charles City County
- Chesterfield County
- Gloucester County
- Hampton City
- Hanover County
- Henrico County
- Hopewell City
- Isle of Wight County
- King and Queen County
- King William County
- Lancaster County
- Mathews County
- Middlesex County
- New Kent County
- Newport News City
- Poquoson City
- Prince George County
- Southampton County
- Surry County
- Sussex County
- Williamsburg City
- York County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Virginia
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com. |
| <3> | We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Fords Colony, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Fords Colony) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |